<![CDATA[[SecurityRatty] tag: female]]> http://securityratty.com/tag/female Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:05:36 +0000 iRatty Engine http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Friday Squid Blogging: Preserving Giant Squid]]> http://securityratty.com/article/f149b30158b44ffcbe92efcb77211405 http://securityratty.com/article/f149b30158b44ffcbe92efcb77211405 At the Smithsonian:

At the centerof the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History's gleaming new Sant Ocean Hall lies a preserved giant female squid -- the arresting, spineless star among the vibrant exhibition's animal specimens. Tentacles menacingly outstretched and seemingly frozen in time, the 24-foot squid embodies humans' fascination with the briny deep. But this squid also symbolizes something else: an ongoing experiment in the chemistry of preservation, without which the Smithsonian's new exhibition would not have been possible.

Also note the terrorism tie-in:

To create the exhibit, the Smithsonian had to work around post-9/11 rules restricting flammable materials, while maximizing the lifelike appearance of the squid for public display. They turned not to formalin or ethanol, but to a new fluorinated chemical called Novec, developed by 3M.

If we give up our preserved giant squids, then surely the terrorists have won.

]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:20:18 +0000 squid smithsonian giant female squid smithsonian institution vibrant exhibition exhibition national museum natural history briny deep Friday Squid Blogging: Preserving Giant Squid <![CDATA[What would you do if you knew the Air Marshal on your plane was smuggling Drugs?]]> http://securityratty.com/article/6902b40b209c72e9190f6544d2968f20 http://securityratty.com/article/6902b40b209c72e9190f6544d2968f20
The ex-Air Marshal who was convicted of smuggling drugs apparently used his position to work with a drug dealer to carry cocaine and drug money with him on flights around the country. He was caught on tape telling an informant that he was "the man with the Golden Badge".

We should remember though, that with a current force of between 3,000 - 4,000 (exact numbers are confidential), there are bound to be a few bad apples in the bunch - that is the way in every profession.

What makes it much more alarming when we talk about Air Marshals gone bad is the fact that at 30,000 feet in the air - their authority is absolute. The last thing a passenger in a plane needs to be concerned about is the very person on the plane whose job it is to protect the passengers.

The Marshal's decision making skills should be beyond reproach. If their judgement is clouded over however, due to experimenting with the cocaine they are smuggling, the consequences could prove fatal.

Perhaps the fact that prior to 2001, the Air Marshal service had an annual budget of $4.4 million and 33 agents which exploded to $786 million and between 3,000 to 4,000 agents today might have something to do with undesirables falling through the cracks.

Not that rapid hiring needs are an excuse for allowing criminal behavior to go unnoticed. The office of Inspector General or Internal Affairs needs to get actively involved and properly supervise the agency so that rogue Marshals are not allowed to remain in the service.
Visit Sexton Executive Security at www.sextonsecurity.com
]]> Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:34:00 +0000 air air marshals federal air marshals marshal air marshal service service drugs ex-air marshal plane What would you do if you knew the Air Marshal on your plane was smuggling Drugs? <![CDATA[Teaching the Elderly about Scams and Security]]> http://securityratty.com/article/e41572ac9f794d144e3f8f9e4d564c20 http://securityratty.com/article/e41572ac9f794d144e3f8f9e4d564c20 People were being scammed long before email and malware entered into daily use — and it’s still happening offline as well as online. So what to do if you know that someone you love is being victimized and scammed?

That’s the question the Consumerist asked readers today, with a story about a Florida grand-dad whose gardener is supposedly fleecing him for over $10k / month, allegedly to help an ailing friend:

Shaun says his 80+-year old grandfather, Steve, is being scammed out of over $10,000 a month. It seems Steve recently hired a female gardener who introduced him to a “wealthy friend,” and now he’s loaning them money to pay for groceries, cable, home upkeep, and, get this, bodyguards to protect her from an ex-husband and son who to want to kill her. When the family tries to intervene, Steve says the family is trying to put him in a nursing home and steal his money. Shaun is at a loss. How can he help his grandfather, who doesn’t want to be helped?

Another question that might be relevant in the IT Security community is, are the elderly more prone to these scams, and if so why? In the tech world it’s widely assumed that the older generation just has a harder time learning and grasping how to use technology so may not understand what is risky and what isn’t.

But perhaps there’s a deeper problem, either with some form of dementia and paranoia in the older years, or just a purer vulnerability associated with being alienated from the new, cutting edge and modern world as we age, or some kind of unwillingness to be suspicious because of the need to have caring people around you?

]]> Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:54:46 +0000 steve steve recently hired female gardener friend home gardener home upkeep wealthy friend shaun Teaching the Elderly about Scams and Security <![CDATA[You may not even know it, but a Bodyguard may be protecting your colleague as you work.]]> http://securityratty.com/article/b854f696580e858bbb700b07fed3a181 http://securityratty.com/article/b854f696580e858bbb700b07fed3a181 Seattlepi.com reporter, Andrea James.

The article raises many points that I am sure many of us have or would overlook if it was not brought to our attention. The director of New Beginnings, a Seattle based non-profit that provides advocacy and shelter for victims made the point that while going home after a hard day's work is something that many employees look forward to, for victims of domestic abuse, work is the only place that provides them safety and a sanctuary from a tortured home life.


Our company is frequently requested by employers to provide covert bodyguards for employees with domestic problems at home. The reason for this is due to the fact that physical violence at home, quite often spills into the workplace by the abuser and when that happens, the liklihood of the domestic partner and other co-workers getting hurt or even killed is very real.

Employers know that they have a responsibility to keep the workplace safe so they hire companies like ours to have trained personal protection specialists blend in at the place of empoyment and watch out for the identified threat. Just about 100% of the time the victim of the abuse is a female employee but this article and the comments that follow show that males also suffer from domestic violence.

It is the opinion of our company that we will see even more workplace violence, domestic and otherwise, as companies continue to practice cost cutting tactics like downsizing and layoffs due to the worsening economy. Other related predictions would be thefts from the workplace, increase in fraud and embezzlement, an increase in Resume/CV fabrications as more and more people compete for fewer jobs.

This all goes to show that employers have to be more astute and procative in making sound hiring decisions, being alert for internal theft and abuse and being proactive when it comes to workplace violence.
Visit Sexton Executive Security at www.sextonsecurity.com
]]> Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:33:00 +0000 workplace safe workplace domestic domestic violence workplace violence domestic partner home life home provide covert bodyguards You may not even know it, but a Bodyguard may be protecting your colleague as you work. <![CDATA[Modified Zeus Crimeware Kit Comes With Built-in MP3 Player]]> http://securityratty.com/article/b4e5929a51488e98a9fe58b74de94b94 http://securityratty.com/article/b4e5929a51488e98a9fe58b74de94b94
Modified versions of popular open source crimeware kits rarely make the headlines due to the fact that anyone can hijack a crimeware kit's brand, build and innovate using its foundations, and claim it's a new version released by the original authors. That's of course in between the tiny time frame until he's exposed as the fake author of Zeus that may have in fact came up with a unique feature that the original authors didn't include.

This modified version of Zeus is yet another example of how cybercriminals are actively modifying crimeware kits, literally making such practices as keeping version numbers irrelevant. While the administrator is managing his botnet, he can load local, or tunein the built-in online radio stations the author of this modification included, next to changing Zeus entire graphical layout.

Let's take into consideration another example, the infamous Pinch DIY malware builder, that's been around for over 4 years. With the populist arrest of its authors in 2007, cybercriminals are still innovating on the foundations offered by Pinch, and thanks to its publicly obtainable source code. It's also worth pointing out that these two Zeus and Pinch modifications are courtesy of a single individual, that in between modifications of popular crimeware kits, seems to be busy porting different modules on different malware kits and web based malware, knowingly or unknowingly contributing to the convergence of spamming, DDoS, web based malware, and botnet management kits.

From a sarcastic perspective - what's next? Perhaps a built-in slideshow of random screenshots taken from malware infected desktops in the botnet, or even a pink layout modification for female botnet masters. Customerization, and customer tailored services can make anything happen, and naturally enjoy the higher profit margins.
]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:55:03 +0000 malware web based malware botnet female botnet masters popular crimeware kits zeus crimeware kits authors original authors Modified Zeus Crimeware Kit Comes With Built-in MP3 Player <![CDATA[Female Bodyguards Get the Job Done.]]> http://securityratty.com/article/732503f31e4a0e42349e8fe161ff34fd http://securityratty.com/article/732503f31e4a0e42349e8fe161ff34fd

The Dublin City Herald recently ran a story about Lisa Baldwin, from Dublin, who is a female Personal Protection/Close Protection Specialist based in the U.K. Ms. Baldwin is in high demand by Middle Eastern clients who wish to have their women and children protected by female agents.


That is exactly why SEXTON EXECUTIVE SECURITY(www.sextonsecurity.com)designed a Middle East E.P./C.P. course that will be held in the U.A.E. from the 11th of October through the 18th. The President, John Sexton summed it up as follows; "We saw the need for agents from all over the world to be able to train in the Middle East and to experience the culture,tradition and religion first hand". "Middle Eastern clients are extremely important to our industry", he added "and it behooves all agents involved in providing safety for these families to become conversant with every aspect of their lives in order to be able to offer the best protection possible".

SEXTON will also have a group of female trainees attending their Executive Protection course in San Diego, California in December. Lisa Baldwin is described in the Herald as being "one of the world's few female bodyguards". Many women around the world now recognize that by undergoing professional training like Ms. Baldwin, they can be assigned to prestigious contracts and make a very lucrative living.

Ms. Baldwin's petite stature does not prevent her from succeeding in a mostly male-dominated industry. "You realise you're not in Iraq, you're in London", she advises. Very true. Smart protectors understand that the Art of Personal Protection is about using your mind and not your brawn. The differences between working in Iraq and London/New York/Dubai are like night and day.

Unfortunately, if the agent does not receive proper training, they may very well fail to realise the difference. There is one type of training needed for a Hostile environment such as Iraq or Afghanistan and a completely different one for the corporate/private sector. A security contractor coming fresh out of a hostile environment will often find it extremely difficult providing protection in a covert, "grey man" style.

Fortunately for them, Sexton Executive Security's focus is on private clients and their E.P./C.P. corporate training program can help those returning form overseas contracts to make the transition smooth and profitable.

In the corporate/private family world, you don't have heavy weaponry to rely upon but as Ms. Baldwin states; "Its all about the mind and prevention". Like the old saying goes; "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
Visit Sexton Executive Security at www.sextonsecurity.com
]]> Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:45:00 +0000 john sexton sexton lisa baldwin baldwin sexton executive security middle eastern clients clients protection executive protection Female Bodyguards Get the Job Done. <![CDATA[John McCain: Desperate and Reckless]]> http://securityratty.com/article/a299c2b37dd8172588b5324124b6f3cd http://securityratty.com/article/a299c2b37dd8172588b5324124b6f3cd Normally I would not blog about political topics here, but this is an extraordinary time in history and extraordinary times call for extraordinary posts from time-to-time.

John McCain is, objectively, a bad decision maker, desperate and reckless.   He knows that his party is in trouble and that the Democrats have the advantage; so what does he do?

First, he picks a very conservative, inexperienced female governor from Alaska who, until recently, did not even have a US passport, as his running mate.  This was an obvious act of desperation, thinking that he could pull the Hillary votes in the election.  A heartbeat from the US Presidency at a time when there are two ongoing wars and our country on the verge of economic collapse and he gambles with a “Hail Mary” touchdown pass?  This is not the man we need as President.

Then, not even a member of the Banking committee in the Senate, and self-described “not knowledgeable on economic issues”, John McCain tries another “Hail Mary” pass by rushing off to DC to “save the world” and tries to demand Obama suspend his campaign and the debates?    The US is on the brink of economic collapse and McCain puts politics and election desperation above the future of the country?   This is not the man we need as President.

During the same period, Barack Obama has proven to be cool, intelligent, and a good decision maker.   This should be obvious to anyone with the mind to actually think what is good for the country and not about politics.

John McCain is desperate and reckless.   We don’t need desperate and reckless people leading this country.

]]> Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:54:27 +0000 mccain john mccain reckless bad decision maker decision maker economic collapse extraordinary time time election desperation John McCain: Desperate and Reckless <![CDATA[Friday Squid Blogging: Giant Squids on Exhibit at the Smithsonian]]> http://securityratty.com/article/3440f8f99b4153bb1a7d1150b8e2734e http://securityratty.com/article/3440f8f99b4153bb1a7d1150b8e2734e Starting September 27th: a 36-foot-long, 330-lb female and a 20-foot-long, 100-lb male.

]]> Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:38:01 +0000 100-lb male september 27th 330-lb female 20-foot-long 36-foot-long Friday Squid Blogging: Giant Squids on Exhibit at the Smithsonian <![CDATA[Creepy Customer Profiling via Facial Recognition]]> http://securityratty.com/article/dfdb490391ea01b54e8449583b7ebb5b http://securityratty.com/article/dfdb490391ea01b54e8449583b7ebb5b Usually, shopping off-line is usually more ad-free than shopping online. But this is changing, with ads coming in strange places like video screens at Gas Stations, Albertson’s, and so on. Google’s been using content targeted at users for some time, and now this is coming to offline ads too. Some unlikely retailers like Dunkin Donuts are installing facial recognition systems that change the ads shown, depending whether the viewer is male or female, and in what age range.

The Wall Street Journal says that Dunkin’ Donuts is experimenting with video screens that use facial recognition technology to figure out your age and gender. The screens then display ads targeted specifically to you.

Creepy!

Dunkin’ Donuts is also tailoring the cash register ads to your specific purchase. If you buy a breakfast sandwich, you can expect an ad prompting you to return “for a coffee break in the afternoon” to “try an oven-toasted pizza.” The system is already in place at two Buffalo, NY locations.

Read the full article here.

]]> Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:41:08 +0000 ads cash register ads display ads dunkin donuts screens video screens ads shown age range wall street journal Creepy Customer Profiling via Facial Recognition <![CDATA[Friday Squid Blogging: Researching the Reproductive Habits of Giant Squids]]> http://securityratty.com/article/66c0c092afac44b36361a2268f27c7dd http://securityratty.com/article/66c0c092afac44b36361a2268f27c7dd know more:
Giants have very strange sexual behaviour where the male has a metre-long muscular penis that he uses a bit like a nail gun and shoots cords of sperm under the skin of the female's arms and she carries the sperm around with her until she is ready to lay her big jelly mass of a million eggs.
]]> Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:05:36 +0000 strange sexual behaviour metre-long muscular penis million eggs jelly mass shoots cords nail gun sperm skin bit Friday Squid Blogging: Researching the Reproductive Habits of Giant Squids